In the era of rapid scientific progress, many perceive Chinese medicine as a newfangled trend and exotic (what the “language of the future” will be ─ right, Chinese). Someone, on the contrary, trusts her more due to ancient traditions and an extraordinary approach to the human body. Igor Roganin, a neurologist, reflexologist, member of the clinical committee of the European Institute of Personalized Medicine and Health, helped us to understand how effective Chinese medicine is today and to debunk the myths that are multiplying around it.
Myth 1: You can't trust Chinese medicine, it's better to turn to evidence-based Western
According to various sources, Chinese medicine has existed for 2.5 to 5 thousand years. Now it is relevant and in demand no less than many centuries ago, and this suggests that it works and helps. The Chinese and European directions describe the same processes differently and use different diagnostic tools. Western medicine is left-brain - it works through analysis and logic, establishing a cause-and-effect relationship. Its evidence lies in the duplication of the same examination results, which allows doctors to treat patients according to standard schemes. Chinese also has templates, certain standards and schemes, but the toolkit is, first of all, the person himself. There are four diagnostic criteria - interrogation, examination, pulse diagnosis and language, with their help a high-level specialist makes a diagnosis. The likelihood that it will be inaccurate is possible, but in Western medicine there are enough errors and misconceptions that are corrected with each subsequent decade.
Myth 2: drugs invented many hundreds of years ago cannot be effective now
Chinese medicines are mainly of natural origin - these are herbs, minerals, natural elements, they have a chemical constituent, like traditional pills, working at a biochemical level. However, the selection of Chinese drugs follows different principles. The drugs of Western pharmaceuticals are based on a biochemical formula, which allows the drug to have a targeted effect on the body. Chinese drugs are prescribed based on an understanding of the nature of the drugs and the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. They are designed to eliminate, for example, the cold of the stomach, to make up for the deficiency of the "yang" of the spleen, to strengthen the "yin" of the kidneys, to remove toxins and toxins. In short, they work on a different principle, and in the treatment of most chronic diseases they can be more effective than Western drugs.
The European drug-based approach is needed for the treatment of acute critical conditions or surgical cases. Any drug has indications, contraindications and dosages that the doctor prescribes on an individual basis. Only a doctor can determine the time of taking a particular drug, the frequency and duration. Ideally, the doctor should make decisions from the point of view of Chinese medicine, and from the position of modern understanding, and taking into account the characteristics of the patient.
Myth 3: Chinese medicine is not suitable for Russians
Of course, each race has its own physiological characteristics, so the statement has a small fraction of a rational grain (a European person needs to be careful about Chinese drugs ─ our reaction to them may be more acute than that of other nationalities). But Chinese medicine is not only herbal medicine, but also acupuncture, massage, guasha, cupping, bloodletting, gymnastics. In a word, a whole complex of health-improving methods that are aimed at activating the own resources of the human body (which race it belongs to, in this case, does not matter).
Myth 4: Chinese medicine is only available to wealthy people
Chinese medicine originally developed as a folk medicine. Mao Zedong called it the heritage of the Chinese tradition and emphasized the nationality of the industry. The people of modern Europe see it as medicine for the poor. If you are guided by Moscow, procedures in Chinese medicine clinics are generally available to any metropolitan resident with different income levels. The opinion that only wealthy people can use it is wrong. It all depends on the professionalism of the doctor, the level of the clinic, its location, marketing and the range of services offered.
Myth 5: acupuncture is self-hypnosis, not an effective solution
There have been many scientific studies on the effects of acupuncture on the body. It follows from them that the effect of acupuncture on a person has been proven at three levels: local (when the needle is inserted, up to twenty different cellular elements and biochemical compounds are activated at the injection site), segmental (through the pathways of the spinal cord with the ability to affect the work of internal organs) and central (through complex brain responses).
The skin and nerves have a close relationship, due to which, with the help of acupuncture, it is possible to influence the neurohumoral regulation of the whole organism by restoring the balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the autonomic nervous system. An imbalance in these areas leads to overexcitation, distress, sleep disturbances, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Such disorders can be considered the scourge of humanity. Acupuncture evens out the necessary balance of the autonomic divisions of the nervous system, and this is also scientifically proven. Therefore, acupuncture has nothing to do with the placebo effect. By the way, the WHO has recognized acupuncture as one of the safest and most effective methods of treatment with a minimum of side effects.
Photo: Getty Images
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